ML102040013

Status of Operating License Application Review

ML102040013
Person / Time
Site:	Watts Bar
Issue date:	07/28/2010
From:	Shawn Campbell Watts Bar Special Projects Branch
To:	Bhatnagar A Tennessee Valley Authority
Milano P, NRR/DORL, 415-1457
References
Download: ML102040013 (3)

Text

July 28, 2010 Mr. Ashok S. Bhatnagar Senior Vice President Nuclear Generation Development and Construction Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801

SUBJECT:

WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT, UNIT 2 - STATUS OF OPERATING LICENSE APPLICATION REVIEW

Dear Mr. Bhatnagar:

This letter is a follow-up to certain discussions between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff and representatives from your staff regarding the need to improve the timeliness and quality of your documentation submittals related to your operating license (OL) application for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN), Unit 2.

In support of the OL application, you submitted several amendments to the Final Safety Analysis Report and other documents for our review. The NRC staffs review of your submittals is in progress. We are using the Microsoft Enterprise Project Management (EPM) tool to schedule our review and track its progress. In addition to the target completion dates for our safety evaluations of your submittals, the EPM indicates interim milestones such as staff issuance of requests for additional information (RAIs) and your responses to these RAIs. These dates are established based on our discussions with your staff. We hold periodic meetings and telephone discussions with your staff to monitor and track progress of your activities, as well as those of the NRC staff, under EPM.

Our review of the EPM data indicates that Tennessee Valley Authoritys performance with regard to adherence to the agreed upon schedule dates could be improved. For example, by letter dated June 3, 2010, you indicated that you would provide responses to certain RAIs by June 18, 2010. As of to-date you have not provided this response. Your responses to our November 2009, RAIs related environmental issues were significantly delayed and specifically, we received your response to severe accident mitigation alternatives on July 28, 2010. In other cases your responses to our RAI were incomplete. By letter dated July 16, 2010, you responded to our RAI relating to fire protection issues and provided only a partial response and indicated that additional information will be provided in August and December 2010. Your delay in responses to our RAIs is causing our licensing reviews to be on the critical path for project completion.

A. Bhatnagar We request your prompt action to ensure that your submittals are timely and of high quality and completeness. This action is imperative for the NRC staff to complete all of our licensing reviews and inspections consistent with your schedule to commence operation in fiscal year 2012.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Stephen J. Campbell, Chief Watts Bar Special Projects Branch Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-391 cc: Distribution via Listserv

A. Bhatnagar We request your prompt action to ensure that your submittals are timely and of high quality and completeness. This action is imperative for the NRC staff to complete all of our licensing reviews and inspections consistent with your schedule to commence operation in fiscal year 2012.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Stephen J. Campbell, Chief Watts Bar Special Projects Branch Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-391 cc: Distribution via Listserv DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC LPWB Reading File RidsNrrDorlLpwb Resource RidsNrrLABClayton Resource RidsNrrPMWattsBar2 Resource RidsRgn2MailCenter Resource RidsOgcRp Resource RidsOpaMailCenter R. Haag, R-II W. Bearden, SRI, Watts Bar 2 RidsAcrsAcnw_MailCTR Resource ADAMS Accession No. ML102040013 OFFICE LPWB/PM LPWB/LA LPWB/BC LRaghavan NAME BClayton SCampbell (by phone)

DATE 07/26/10 07/27/10 07/28/10 OFFICIAL AGENCY RECORD